What Happens in the Mind
by manitobamania
Summary: What happens when the spotlight is focused off of Mike and put on the other personalities? Conflict arises when Svetlana feels abandoned by the man she adores. Mal is struggling to keep his anger under control. Vito has feelings for someone other than he once claimed to have... The list goes on and on. How do they get resolved? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Svetlana sighed as she stared down at her breakfast. She didn't feel like eating today, as it seemed to be nothing but tedious work to her. The athlete pouted as her oatmeal looked even less appetizing than before. Something about the mundane vibe had made this harder to do; perhaps it was too monotonous for her to deal with. Regardless, this was the usual to her. However, another personality saw something different.

Vito, who was dumber than a door nail, was even bright enough to see that Svetlana wasn't her peppy self. It caused him to worry, though he wouldn't let that show through his tan muscles and macho exterior. His lips twitched before deciding that it would be best if he kept his mouth shut. After all, Chester, the annoying old man, and Mal, the ex-convict, were sitting at the table along with them. If he didn't want them to gossip about her, it would be common sense – yes, even Vito had it, thanks to Mike – to leave it alone. It was then that he frowned to himself, wondering where Manitoba was for the 3rd day in a row. He munched on a piece of bacon as the silence droned on and on.

After a couple of minutes went by, Svetlana slammed her spoon down on the table and rushed out of the room. No one could tell, but there were tears in her eyes and a shatter in her heart. Normally, she could hide her composure during the meal, but something about it made her snap today. Something about today… It made her feel vulnerable.

"What's buggin' her?" The elderly personality groaned.

Mal stuffed a spoonful of cereal in his mouth and shrugged. "Hormones," he concluded.

Vito sighed and got up from the table. "Can it," he muttered. "Lemme go see what's up."

The malevolent one looked up at Vito. As much as he wanted to say more, the overly tanned male had threatened to put him in his place. He wouldn't want a second helping of breakfast, especially when it concerned a knuckle sandwich. "Please do," he agreed. "But, um, do hurry. I don't want to converse with Butter Boy over here."

"Listen here, ya whippersnapper," Chester began.

Vito rolled his eyes and ignored their bickering. He followed the Russian woman, finding it hard to keep up with her. "Ay, ay, ay… Twinkle Toes," he called out after the others were out of ear's reach. His cocky expression softened up. He was about to show a side he wasn't prepared to show, but Anne Maria knew this side well. "What's goin'—"

Svetlana turned around and buried her face into Vito's chest. A loud sob erupted from her, and she lightly pounded a fist into his pecs. "He is not caring about Sv-Svetlana," she whimpered. "He is not!"

The Jersey Boy wasn't so sure how to react to this. He froze and stiffened up as he felt her tears running onto his body and down his chiseled, shirtless torso. He would normally be annoyed with the display of emotion, but she sounded extremely hurt. "Shh…" He let his arms wrap around her. "It's ok, Twinkles." It was safe to say that the roles should have been reversed.

"He is hurting Svetlana, does he not know?" The gymnast looked up at Vito (even though they are in the same body, their heights vary). "Svetlana is hurt. Today is her birthday, and all she is wanting is to have Manitoba here."

Vito sighed. "I know. It's kinda sad he ain't here. He will, or I'm gonna break his frickin' neck. "

"Do not be doing zat! His neck is lovely."

"But he made ya cry," Vito replied. "I don't like seein' anyone upset, other than that lil' weasel." Those were one of his many nicknames for Mal. He couldn't bash him, though. He shouldn't judge anyone when he did unspeakable things in his past. As he thought about that, he pressed his lips together and gingerly laid his chin on the top of Svetlana's head. "Don't cry," he whispered.

Something about the command had made it come true. It was like a spell, and tears stopped streaming down her face. "Da," Svetlana said. She sniffled afterwards. "Svetlana is lucky zat Vito is caring."

"It's no biggie, Twinks." He smiled and chuckled. " 'Member when Anne Maria an' me broke up for a while cuz o' Mike?" Somehow, he knew she did. "Ya helped me through that, so I'm helpin' ya." There was a silence between them before Vito spoke once more. "Why don't ya do somethin' he might like?"

And at that moment, Svetlana realized how she was going to get Manitoba's attention.


	2. Chapter 2

Mal watched Svetlana bring in a bag that contained clothes. He wasn't sure what was in them, but knowing his mother, it was probably something pink and frilly. He felt her chestnut eyes rest on his confused expression, but he hoped that she wouldn't ask him anything. It would be awkward if he had to voice his opinion on her new endeavor in shopping. He looked away and decided that the living room would be more of a relaxing place.

He walked down the hallway and peeked inside of the room. A part of him wanted to roll his eyes, but then again, he realized that someone else was watching him. It was no one other than the local moron who was too barbaric to do math. He cocked an eyebrow and reluctantly entered the room. "What? " He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Nothin'," Vito muttered.

"Whatever, peon," he replied with a hostile tone. "Now move. I want to sit on the couch. "

Vito slid his legs onto the floor and frowned at the other.

Mal sat on the couch and sighed. Maybe he could try to have a conversation with this caveman. It couldn't really hurt, but then again, the teenager was not so used to being an open book. If he got frustrated in any way, it could've resulted in a fight with this personality. Still, Mike's therapist thought that it would be something for Mal to work on. One time couldn't hurt… Right? "How are you?" The question escaped his mouth so quickly that he didn't even bother to process what he said until the last word.

Vito looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh… Good?"

The malevolent one nodded his head. "That's… Good." He paused for a second and then returned the look to Vito. "Did you go tanning yet? It… Looks as though you did." This was tougher than Mal thought it would be. Perhaps it wasn't so tough; maybe he was just socially awkward.

"Really? It looks like I went already?" Vito grinned in an arrogant manner. "Well, I try t'always keep a fresh lookin' tan. Ya know, th' secret is all in th' time o' day. Tan at noon, an' ya good, know what 'm sayin'?"

Mal nodded. "I never thought of it being that way. I mean, that's a flawless strategy. The sun's beating down on you, meaning that all of the UV rays soak into your skin, damaging then just so to obtain that per…fect…" He noticed that he sounded too intellectual for Vito. "What I mean is, good plan for getting tan." God, this was a moron.

Vito felt his ego boost into the heavens when the weasel said that. "Thanks, Mal."

There was an awkward silence after that. Mal wanted to say something, but it was kind of a stupid thing to say anyways. Instead, he decided to stare at Vito, wondering what was going to happen next. Were they friends, or was he thinking about tearing him apart? Mal suddenly felt paranoid about his intentions. His eyes wandered away from Vito's and he felt self-conscious. This therapist that Mike was seeing had made this difficult request, and he hoped that Mike would step in at any time.

Did Vito make him uncomfortable? It wasn't like he had meant to, but he couldn't stop. Something about him was different, and it was kind of nice. After all, if Mal complimented someone, then it would be taken as a serious compliment. He subconsciously put a hand under the other's chin. At first, it seemed as though the hereditary side of Svetlana had shined through in Mal, and Vito wanted a second look.

Mal's eyes widened as Vito did so. This was something he was not used to. After all, the social ineptness didn't help. He was like a deer that was caught in the headlights. He felt his lips gearing up to form a word or so. They quivered with anticipation and fear. "V-Vito?"

"Durn kids and their romance," Chester nagged as he entered the room. "Back in my day, the only romancin' we had was dancin'. Ahh, those were the good ol' days."

The words caused Mal and Vito to gravitate away from each other. Mal's eyes grew even wider with alarm and disgust. "I'm not into anyone," he hissed.

Vito's grimace said it all, but he decided that all was not even enough for this. "I thought ya had somethin' in ya eye!"

"Ugh! Keep those filthy hands off of me, Sasquatch! I will never, ever want someone like you in my life."

As they kept arguing, a satisfied Chester left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

A tired Manitoba shut the door behind him. He was unaware of how late in the day it was, but that didn't stop him from acting as though he had a great night's sleep. The explorer shifted his eyes from one side of the house to the other, trying to find someone to talk to. At last, he stumbled upon an argument involving the idiot and the one that was too smart for his own good. He narrowed his eyes and listened in without them knowing.

"I'm not gay!"

"Ya ain't hot!"

"Yes I am!"

Manitoba noticed that Mal was on top of Vito and trying to hit him. It was entertaining to watch, knowing that Mal was the least athletic in the body. It made him wonder why that happened. But wasn't he supposed to be the spawn of Svetlana…? "Knock it off, lova' boys."

Mal growled. "What did you say?" He looked up at the Australian and gave him a look to stun him. "I ought to kill-"

Vito grabbed his waist and held him down. "Ya oughta shut up!"

What didn't matter was the advantage of strength that Vito had over him, but the fact he chose to fight was something. Mal dug his nails into the Jersey Boy and drew blood. "You will pay! I swear on Mike's life, you'll regret saying that!" He bit Vito's arm, and it caused the not-so-bright personality to let go. Mal then leaped over the couch and on the explorer. "Revenge starts now," he snarled.

"Svetlana dares you."

"M-Mother." He looked up and pouted before rolling off of Manitoba.

"Da." Svetlana frowned. "Svetlana can do noth-zing with Mal. Svetlana shall train you like ze puppies."

"But, moth-"

"SHUSH."

"Yes, mother."

Vito cackled. "Mal's is a mama's boy? Dat's rich!" He fell off of the couch and wiped a tear from his eye as he enjoyed the sight of that.

Mal blushed from embarrassment. "I'm not a mother's boy. I…" He groaned loudly and stormed off to go into his room.

Manitoba flinched as he heard the door slam. "He's a nasty bugga', eh?"

Svetlana stood over him and continued to frown at him.

"What's wrong, Sheila?"

"Svetlana is throwing Manitoba out of ze room. Svetlana is hating you now, da?"

Manitoba sat up and adjusted his hat. "Whateva' I've done, 'M sorry."

"Apologizing is not accepted, da?" Svetlana turned away from the explorer and exhaled as a tear fell out of her eye. A couple more followed. "Svetlana is hating you!" She walked away and began sobbing.

"What'd I do…?"

"Ta'day is her birthday, an' ya went behind 'er back an' went explorin'." Vito sighed. "'Toba, ya stupid. Ya know she loves ya, right?"

"She does? Did she tell ya?"

"Twinkle Toes looks at ya, like how Anne Maria looks at me."

Manitoba chuckled at the statement. How could someone who has no clue make some assumption that was probably lust? That didn't match up. Svetlana was the type to ignore him, and when she talked to him, she sounded too confident to like him. The whole "hooking up" sort of deal was because they were the same age. She wasn't quite the type to do things with Vito; after all, when that happened, she cried to Manitoba about the issue. Before they knew it, they slept together. Mal was a baby back then, and a quiet one at that. There were no feelings attached. "Ya nuts."

Vito shrugged. "Fine."

Manitoba stood up. "Ya jus' gonna agree?"

"Yep." Vito turned on a game console and grabbed a controller.

"Alright, then. Off I go," he proclaimed, then he exited the room.

Vito shook his head and muttered something under his breath, then began playing the game.


	4. Chapter 4

"Svetlana is going to be teaching you how to be a better person, da?"

Mal frowned and rolled his eyes. He felt like he was back in juvie. This was not going to end well, especially if his mother insisted on it. "Mother, if I'm nice, Mike is in love with that Staci girl. This is a hopeless endeavor and-"

Svetlana grabbed a spray bottle full of water and pulled the trigger. She made sure to get Mal in the face. "Stop with ze rambling! You will be trained. Da?"

Mal flinched from the action and hissed. "I am not a canine!"

"Mal is a kitty cat." She giggled and sprayed him again, this time, for her own amusement.

"Mother!"

"Do not get angry with Mama."

The malevolent one swore in Russian under his breath. "This is not funny!"

"And Mal thought that taking over ze body is funny, da? You zink zat Svetlana and ze others deserved zis, da?" Svetlana kept spraying him as her tone grew angry. "Svetlana is upset with Mal. Mal does not even like his name! You disgrace Svetlana!"

"Disgrace?" He asked before the last spray. "I'm sorry."

"Mean it! Svetlana is wanting you to mean it!"

"I'm sorry, mom! I'm sorry…" Some of the black strands of hair fell into his face. He tried holding in his anger for once. He was trying so hard. "It's because I'm not the good one, am I, mother? You like him better, and it's because he didn't hurt someone. You want to forget about me. I'm sorry."

Svetlana quickly hugged him. "No, zat is not being ze truth. Svetlana loves you."

Mal didn't bother to hug her back. He wasn't the type that liked physical affection. Maybe that would change if he felt some connection to someone. "Mal hates you," he mumbled back, mimicking her accent.

It felt like a knife jabbed her in the heart. That was the worst thing he could've said. As if that was hurtful, he kept going.

"You keep lying to me. You say that I'm the best son in the whole world, but I know that's a lie. Remember when I hurt him? Remember when they sent us to that awful place because of me…? And remember you confessed that I had a twin and you played it off like it was no big deal?" He smiled from disbelief. "And if that wasn't awful enough, you let him take my life, my body, and my freedom. You let him lock me up, and you forgot about me."

Svetlana frowned at the words. Was that really how Mal viewed it?

"I hate you, and I hate Mike all the more, mother dearest."

The words made the athlete pull from the embrace and look at him in shock. She raised her hand and slapped him. It was enough to leave a red mark on his caramel-colored skin.

Mal didn't move until Svetlana walked away. He held his jaw and laughed. He laughed because he could easily hurt her more than she just hurt him. "Training begins," he said to himself. "Just like the puppies."


	5. Chapter 5

Vito wiped the dried blood off of his tan arm. He was surprised at how deep the tiny wounds were. He supposed it was alright. After all, Mal had his issues, and Vito had his. Still, he'd never tell anyone about his problems, especially with Anne Maria.

The last time he was out of the mind, he had caught her sleeping with someone else. Then again, he was the person who beat the guy as well. Anne Maria was pleading for him to stay there and that she could explain everything that he wanted to know. She clung onto him, tears running down her face; her hair was every which way, and her makeup was a mess. She wanted him, even if it meant she had to lie to him. Vito, who never talked about his problems, decided to end their relationship and to never look back. Now, he had another issue.

He had fallen in love with the big brown eyes and the smile of one of the other personalities. They had such grace and passion. But, knowing his luck, they were in love with someone else. It made him want to be a better person. He felt like he didn't have to tan or to make out with them to bond. It was something deeper, something real…

But it was wrong, wasn't it?

Mike would know everything that Vito was thinking about, and he didn't want him to overhear anything. He forced himself to stop thinking about that and to focus on the punctures. The shirtless man continued to wipe the dry blood and winced when he put too much pressure on it. "Jesus, Mal."

"You rang?" Mal stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. He smiled and chuckled to himself.

His smile reminded him of Svetlana's. No. He couldn't think about that. "I oughta slam th' door on ya. I don't 'preciate ya hurtin' me."

Mal straightened up. "Isn't that my job around here?"

Vito sighed and dried his arm off carefully. "It don't hafta be."

"What the hell do you mean? Everyone has a job here. Mine is to make everyone miserable. I'm the failed personality." He sighed for a minute. "Could you check on my mother? Please?"

"Ya hurt her again. Didn't ya?" Vito narrowed his eyes and moved closer to Mal.

"I told her I hated her." He lowered his gaze. "I don't think she deserves a son like me. Maybe I should hide in a different part of the mind, you know?"

"…This ain't 'bout her, is it? It's 'bout YOU."

"Just make sure she's fine, you moron," Mal huffed before he tried to leave. Something held him back, however.

"Ya ain't goin' anywhere."

"Let me go!" Mal began to scream. "Let me go, you Neanderthal! Get away from me!"

Vito yanked the other; it was because he wanted to see his face. "Look me in th' eyes an' tell me ya hate her," he demanded.

Mal closed his eyes and pictured himself in a happier situation than this one. There would be another personality, one that was a female and had a beautiful British accent…

"DO IT!"

Mal's hands were quivering. A loud whimper came from him. "Don't hit me." Compared to his usual condescending tone, this meek whisper made him sound childish. "Please." Little did Vito know, Mal was having a flashback from his questionable childhood. He wanted to escape. "P-Please don't." Vito reminded him of the father that he was once aware of. The father he knew was something he didn't want to be reminded of.

When Mal was little, he was controlling the body. He started out as sweet and loving as Mike, but life happened. It was the kind of life that no child should experience. His father was a man with an accent, though he couldn't remember what kind of accent. It didn't matter. After all, the male was hard to ignore. He was the one who grabbed Mal just like Vito had, and he yelled at him in the same way. There was more to that, but that was meant to be left in the past.

"Mal? You ok?"

"Don't hit me, don't hit me, don't hit me."

"I ain't gonna," he whispered before hugging him.

Mal snapped out of the flashback and felt Vito's warm body pressed against his. At that moment, something happened that was rather odd. His heart was beating a little faster than usual…

And he didn't mind it.


End file.
